Better Approach

Montel Doesn't Dumb Down His Shows

November 17, 2002|By DAVID NICHOLSON Daily Press

Talk is cheap, and many talk show hosts prefer it that way, parading a steady stream of bottom-feeders before television viewers. Montel Williams takes a different approach. He isn't above building a show around a psychic or a crime victim. But his aim is always to explore how people relate to each other or to search for solutions to society's nagging problems. And the longevity of his program suggests that the public is responding to his message.

"A lot of what we're doing has been slimed down by other shows," said Williams. He was in Norfolk, where he served in the Navy in the 1980s, to give a speech to veterans on Monday. "I try to do issues that affect every member in the household. We present everything that deals with communication."

Williams has no plans to alter the formula for his program, which is currently in its 12th season. Soon after he went on the air in 1991, he decided to shift the focus to problem-solving instead of interviewing the dysfunctional family of the week. The producers resisted at first, he said, but soon the audience numbers indicated he was on the right track.

One of his ongoing topics has been to help young couples assume the responsibility of childcare. He's also planning more shows on teen-age obesity. Many of his topics are designed to help young people deal with living in a complex world.

"We deluge kids with images. The news today looks as if it's on crack," he said. "We don't give them enough time to focus on anything. As a result, kids don't believe in commitment. They can't decide who or what they are."

Williams also comes up with topics by responding to what hits a nerve with his audience. When a particular program generates 2,000 or 3,000 calls, as it sometimes does, you can bet the subject will pop up in future episodes.

Currently, "True Crime" is airing several times a week. The programs on Williams' show focus on crime victims and their responses to the situations they were confronted with. Often solutions emerge, such as the woman who was inside her car when it was hijacked. Without the hijacker knowing it, she was able to alert police to her whereabouts by pressing the emergency button on her cell phone.

This type of show plays off the reality-based programming so popular on television today. Williams recalled that five or six years ago, he did a reality-theme series called "What Would You Do For Money?"

Sometimes events in his own life become television topics, such as his current battle with multiple sclerosis. Williams came forward about his condition after learning that his medical records had been given to a tabloid newspaper. He's still ambivalent about the exposure. While the producers of his television show have been supportive, the news pretty much ended a fledgling acting career he had been developing.

Whatever the motivation behind the type of show, Williams said the end result is not based on what any other talk show host is doing.

"We pretend we're in a foot race," he said. "We look at the finish line, not to the right or the left."

David Nicholson can be reached at 247-4794 or by e-mail at dnicholson@dailypress.com.